Thappad's 'bad guy' Pavail Gulati says Vidya Balan's reaction to his act is much cherished
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; March 15, 2020)

As Taapsee Pannu's 'ideal husband' until he slaps her in a fit of rage, Thappad actor Pavail Gulati has been garnering rave reviews for his act in Anubhav Sinha's latest. "It has been overwhelming. The film has opened doors for me. I have received several scripts and that has never happened."

A call from Vidya Balan was one that particularly stayed with the actor. "I had goosebumps while talking to her. She said, 'I hate you; and I hate myself for liking you in the end'," he says of her comment that was testimony of his act.

Essaying a negative character could be tricky, but Gulati found promise in Sinha's narrative. "Vikram was a layered character. Sir wanted him to [come across] as a nice guy so that he could be related to. We wanted people to hate him, but also sympathise with him."

As for working with Pannu, Gulati, was at no point disillusioned about the fact that she would be "the face of the film". "Taapsee comes with stardom. It wasn't about who had the bigger part. We all connected with the story since it belongs to the both of us. It wasn't anti-men. It had the right balance."